The reason I claim that working with a trainer gives you an edge above all else is because no matter how much knowledge you have in regards to exercise science or nutrition, no matter if you are a trainer yourself, and no matter how many “years you have been doing this,” working with a trainer gives you the one thing that you can’t give yourself; that is coaching and accountability.

Now, yes, we can find ways to motivate ourselves and set up incentives to better accomplish our goals, but let’s be honest, 9 times out of 10, we’d rather disappoint ourselves in secrecy than hold ourselves accountable to a family member, friend, coach, or trainer, and disappoint them instead. Working with a knowledgeable trainer gives you motivation, accountability, makes the impossible seem possible, and gets you those last 3-5 reps you could not get on your own. Working with a trainer has been statistically proven to get better results in a shorter time frame than pursuing your goals on your own. There is a 75% failure rate in individuals who attempt to reach their fitness goals; that is over 7 out of 10 individuals that attend a gym on a regular basis, and a percentage of those other successful individuals are already working with a personal trainer. The one piece of advice I can give you that will do you the most good in the long run if you don’t have the knowledge of a trainer would be…GO HIRE A TRAINER! How can you expect to get results if you don’t even know what you’re doing? Yes, there is enough information on the internet on how to attain successful results, but guess what? If you don’t have the education, you won’t know how to systematically piece all that information together for your individual needs. There is also a TON of bogus information on the internet when it comes to health, fitness, and nutrition so be wary of venturing off into the internet in search of fitness advice that will deliver effective results; you may end up with more issues than when you began.

Hiring a professional certified trainer will be the best decision you ever made in regards to your health so long as you pick the right trainer. Two words to make sure you select the right trainer – Dedicated and Educated. Give yourself the edge you need; hire a personal trainer today and I personally guarantee you won’t regret it.

So you want to get rid of some belly fat, and you can’t help but be on the lookout for that magical exercise that will give you flat abs once-and-for-all. I’m sorry to burst your bubble of hope, but all the ab crunches in the world won’t make a dent in your belly bulge, as long as you continue with your unhealthy lifestyle.

This isn’t a cutting edge discovery. In fact, by now it’s common knowledge that spot reduction is a myth, and yet, time after time, I’m asked to reveal the exercise, or exercise machine, that gets rid of stomach fat. There is no such magical exercise. The magic is found in altering your diet and exercise routine to promote fat loss from your overall body, including—but not limited to—your midsection. Here’s how to really get rid of that belly fat:

Flat Belly Tip #1: Cut Out Processed Foods and Sugar

You know how Disneyland has the FastPass tickets that allow you to cut to the front of the ride lines? Consider processed foods as a FastPass ticket to belly fat. I wouldn’t be surprised if future studies show that the over-processing, chemical additives and high fructose corn syrup that are pumped into processed food specifically adds fat around your belly. If you want to lose pounds, stay away from sugars, sodas, chemically altered fats, processed, packaged, fried and preserved foods.

Flat Belly Tip #2: Eat Fresh Whole Foods

Once you’ve cut the garbage out of your diet, fill in the void with fresh foods such as green veggies, whole fruit, lean high quality meats and fish, colorful veggies, and whole grains in moderation. While these foods may seem boring at first, stick with it long enough and you’ll grow to love the unadulterated flavor of real food. Eating a diet filled with the foods listed above will give your body all the nutrients it needs to shed pounds and lean out.

Flat Belly Tip #3: Cut the Booze

We have all heard the term “beer gut” so you know what I mean when I say you need to moderate or cut down the drinking. I enjoy the occasional drink or two once per week, but that is the extent of it. If you want to cut down the waistline, you need to start cutting down the frequency and amount of booze you drink. Try just by cutting it in half or at least down by one drink per week. Try to eventually get down to just one night of drinks per week or less, and focus on only enjoying 1-3 of your favorites. Also, focus on light clear liquors mixed in low calorie drinks. Dark liquors, wines, and beer are a sure way to add to that belly fat and they can have some seriously high hidden calories.

Flat Belly Tip #4: A Consistent, Challenging Exercise Program

The absolute best way to fight the battle of the belly bulge is with a consistent, challenging exercise program. Be consistent! You should exercise 3-5 times each week. Make it challenging! If you want to see results, then keep your body guessing with new exercises and varied intensity.

We all have different goals, motives, body types, lifestyles and time constraints, so a “cookie cutter” exercise program just won’t work for everyone. A good personal trainer will create a personalized program tailored to your specific needs and requirements.

YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE

It’s important to make the most of the time you have. With the knowledge and expertise of a Personal Trainer, you’ll avoid common pitfalls, getting maximum results in minimal time.

YOU ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

Having an appointment represents a commitment and a responsibility. By employing a personal trainer, you’re less likely to skip a session simply because you are tired, unmotivated or too busy.

BLAST PAST PLATEAUS

It’s not uncommon for you to experience plateaus as your body adapts to your program. It’s during these times that a personal trainer will revise your exercise program and refocus you mentally to push you past your plateau.

TRAINING SHOULD BE FUN

One of the things that hits even the most health-conscious person is boredom! Your personal trainer has a repertoire of exercises and programs geared towards keeping you active and interested in your training.

PREVENT INJURY

A very common mistake that many individuals make is doing what they see others doing in the gym. Until you work with a trainer, you may not get the proper education in exercise technique, and run the risk seriously injuring yourself. A personal trainer will constantly monitor your technique and ensure your program is ideal for you, reducing the risk of injury.

GET PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE AND EXPERTISE

Any good personal trainer will keep in touch with the latest advances in exercise science theory and practical research through on-going training. This means your personal trainer will keep you ahead of the game.

REGULAR ASSESSMENTS

Any personal trainer serious about helping you achieve your goals will do regular in-depth assessments to ensure you’re on track with your training. From fitness assessments, your trainer can progress your program to suit your rate of development.

UNPARALLELED MOTIVATION

It’s easier to exercise with someone around and a personal trainer is just the right person. A good personal trainer will know when to act as a tough general, but also know when to take appropriate rest periods. Your trainer is also a source of encouragement and inspiration or simply someone to talk to about your training concerns.

BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION

Any structure is only as strong as its foundation – your body is no different. A personal trainer will put together a well-balanced fitness program and give you the requisite knowledge and tools you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Studies have shown that people who work with a personal trainer are 80% more likely to get the results they want compared to working without a personal trainer!

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got!”

Many individuals feel that if they can find a “routine” that works for them, they can continue to perform that routine over and over again until they get into the shape they want. “I’ll just cut calories, and do more cardio.” or “Monday, Wednesday, Friday is all I need.” or “Can you just write me an upper and lower body workout that I can cycle each week?” These are comments that we hear much too frequently. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to fitness.

If you want to get in shape (and I mean it is truly a massive priority for you to get in shape), what you’ll need to do is anything but routine! The only thing that will be routine about your regimen is consistency.

It is consistency, perseverance, and determination that will provide you the endurance to push on towards your goals. It is not an easy road; ask anyone who’s done it and they will tell you about the muscle soreness, the fatigue, the self discipline, the meal plan, the day-in, day-out grind at the gym, the plateaus, the muscle confusion, drop sets, super sets, pyramids, high intensity intervals, etc. The list goes on and on, but if you truly want to reach your goals, you need to understand it requires a lifestyle change. You can’t keep the same old habits and then throw the gym in there 3 days a week and expect 10 dress sizes to be lost. It requires immense unwavering dedication and determination to make it to the end.

“Where you are in life is the sum total of every decision you have ever made up until this point”, which means that it is your habits, and your decision-making that got you there. This means in order to accomplish your goals, you can’t be the person you are currently; you have to become someone else entirely. You have to change your habits, your decision making, your thought patterns, your mindset, and your lifestyle in order to become the new you! It’s your old ways that got you to where you are now. Once you recognize this and rid them from your life, you’ll start to see progress.

Don’t just start the year of with another “New Year’s resolution” or another “routine”. Let today (not tomorrow) be the beginning of the rest of your life as the truly fit and healthy individual you deserve to be.

Determine What You Truly Want
In order to accomplish any goal, big or small, you must clearly define what it is and what it is not. What is the goal, what does it look like, how does it make you feel?; and so forth. You must also determine a specific and definite time frame to accomplish the goal. Make a deadline, or you run a severe risk of procrastination and never accomplishing your goal. You should, however, give yourself an appropriately reasonable amount of time to accomplish the goal while still making sure that the time frame is short enough to inspire a sense of urgency within you.

The last thing to remember here is that you need to clearly identify what is holding you back from reaching your goal. Let’s be honest, you’ve failed up to this point because something held you back. You need to identify what that was, eliminate its effect on you, and begin moving forward.

Begin With The End In Mind

You need to clearly define your end game. This is not the goal itself, but the results, affects, outcome, and ripple effect that has taken place in your life after your goal has been met. Who are you now as a person? What did this goal deliver into your life? What have you become? What is your level of happiness now? Was the goal ultimately worth it?

After you come to a positive conclusion and you picture the end in great detail, it’s time to work backwards and set specific milestones to accomplish on smaller time frames so you see incremental progress, have a sense of reward, and use the Law of Averages to ensure that you reach your goal.

The Law of Averages states: Future events are likely to balance any past deviation from a presumed average. What this means is that if you average out your annual goal, for example, into monthly, weekly, and daily milestones, and you actually hit those milestones, you will establish an average performance very close to reflecting your projected outcome. This is key in accomplishing goals; without it, the effectiveness of goal-setting decreases severely.

Establish Your Priorities To Overcome Interference

This is often referred to as your “Why Power.” This should be a written statement, mission statement, or mantra that you recite to yourself daily. It is the reason you’ve chosen to undergo your endeavors, why you’re pursuing your goals, why you’re taking the high road. It’s what keeps you going even when it seems futile and foolish to continue.

Your Why Power must be so powerful that it can withstand the onslaught of any interference that will most definitely come during your journey. You need to ask yourself, “What am I willing to sacrifice now for what I will attain later?” Interference can come in the form of temptation, presumed reward, short term satisfaction, guilt, shame, opinion, other people, criticism, skepticism, doubt, disbelief, etc. The list goes on and on.

Make sure you understand it is a simple concept of Pain vs. Pleasure. You are undergoing temporary pain for long term pleasure, or the short term pleasures of interference don’t outweighs the consequences and ultimate long term pain that they cause down the road. Remember that anything actually worth having requires effort. Anything that comes easy never lasts and is often forgotten.

Maintain Positive Thinking Power

Maintaining a positive mindset is one of the most essential and effective principles and tools we can use in personal development and goal achievement. It causes you to look at all the good any situation has caused you which immediately brings positive significance and reenergizes you to keep moving forward despite any interference or negativity that comes your way.

Remember that, if you have got haters, then you’re doing something right. If this form of interference comes, be glad and rejoice because what it means is that you are showing others that you are strong enough to pursue your dreams and strive for a better life when they are too cowardly to do so themselves. You’re making that very clear to them. That is why people try to tear you down. Most people don’t actually get excited about harming other people; those individuals are known as sociopaths. Most people are just ashamed because you showed them that they are capable of accomplishing the same feats, but don’t possess the self-discipline to do so. However, let this happen because you may just inspire someone!

Just remember that most people give up before they even start! Do NOT end up like one of these people who lack so much confidence they don’t even TRY! This leads perfectly into the last step of effective goal setting.

Immediately Take Action

Don’t hesitate for one second! Not tomorrow, not after lunch or work! NOW! The second you’re done reading this paragraph, go out and take 1-3 steps towards making that goal happen right now. Don’t procrastinate, begin the process, and build momentum. If you can manage to take action immediately, you’ve done what 75% of people fail to do time and time again. Go out there and start living the life you’ve always wanted right now!

Drink 0.8 fl oz of water per day for every pound that you weigh. (Ex: 165 lbs x 0.8 = 132 fl oz. = approx. 1 gal.). Did you know that 80% of daily minor ailments, headaches, and fatigue are a result of dehydration? When you realize you’re feeling thirsty, you’re already 1% dehydrated!

Daily Intake of Calories Compared To Grams
Fitness research indicates that women should consume 1-1.5 g of protein per pound, per day, that they weigh, 1 g per pound in complex carbohydrates, and 0.5 g per pound in healthy essential fats. Men should consume approximately 1.5-2 g per pound, per day, that they weigh in lean protein, 1 g per pound in complex carbs, and 0.5 g per pound in healthy essential fats as well.

To know how many calories are in each gram depending on whether it is a protein, carb, or fat, see below. However, remember that you should focus on the quality and ratio of macronutrients that you put in your body more than the total caloric intake. 2,000 cal of the right ratios of protein, carbs, and fats is better than 1200 calories of deficient protein, simple carbs, and saturated or trans fats.

Use The Hand Rule
If you aren’t able to measure out perfect serving amounts, then use the hand rule! Your whole hand size is your protein source, the palm of your hand is your carb source, and 2 thumbs is the size of your fat source per meal. Simple!

Varying Your Daily Consumption
This concept is very simple. When you work out, your body will burn and require more fuel in order to maintain a healthy fat-burning metabolism. If you underfeed it on a workout day, you’ll actually be doing more harm than good. Have a higher total caloric consumption on workout days.

On a non-workout day, lower your consumption by a few hundred calories so that you don’t run the risk of excess fat storage. You aren’t going to burn as much as on your workout day, so don’t justify eating the same amount or you could be storing the excess that you don’t burn!

Don’t Work Out On An Empty Stomach:

So many people think it’s better to come into the gym after fasting because it will tap into their fat stores instead of burning the food; this is partially true, under certain circumstances. However, statistics show that you’re actually more likely to tap into your fat stores if you’ve stimulated your metabolism by feeding yourself about 90 minutes prior to your workout. Just don’t overdo it. All you need is a small snack size meal with only a couple hundred calories to stimulate your metabolism and give you some energy prior to your workout. Wait until it’s digested and then go work out. Your metabolism will be kick-tarted, you’ll have fuel for your workout, and you’ll still be able to tap into your fat for energy as well!

Many factors determine exactly how many calories you should consume. You need to consider the fact that you are different from everyone else. Factors such as height, weight, age, gender, body type, metabolism, activity level, job, current fitness level, injuries, medical conditions, and your goals all play a huge role in how many calories you should consume.

Let me help you shed some light on where to start with your caloric intake. Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you an elaborate series of equations to work with even though sometimes I have to say I enjoy doing that myself to figure out just exactly what someone’s metabolic rate is.

If you find that you still struggle with understanding what you need to do, please don’t hesitate to ask for help!

Whether you have questions about your workouts, nutrition, or just simply understanding where to start or how to get out of a plateau, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’ll be happy to schedule a free one hour session to sit down and meet with you, discuss your goals and what you need to do, as well as give you a free workout.

Everywhere you turn there’s another headline about how to lose weight and shave off fat. Many of these eye-catching headlines are myths, plain and simple. And if you’re not careful, they can suck you in and spit you out, without helping you lose any weight at all.
What myths are out there waiting to trick you? Here are seven that you’re most likely to come up against.

Fat Loss Myth #1: You Need to Work Out Every Day
A little bit of working out will help you lose a little bit of weight, so a lot will help a lot…right? Possibly. If your “little bit” of working out involves taking a walk from your living room to your mailbox, ramping up to a jog around the neighborhood, then everyday is a good thing. However, if you’re pushing it hard at the gym five days a week, adding another two days isn’t a great idea. Not only do you increase your chance for overuse injury, but you don’t give your body time to recover. If your body can’t recover, you can’t get your peak performance every day, making it harder to burn fat.

Fat Loss Myth #2: No Coffee!
For many people, having to drop coffee is unbearable. Fortunately, if you’re a coffee lover and you’re trying to lose weight, you don’t have to give up your hot caffeinated goodness altogether. What you WILL need to do is cut the sugar and creamer. Once you get used to the taste of black coffee, you may find that drinking a cup half an hour before your workout will actually propel you to your best sessions ever.

Fat Loss Myth #3: Slow Is Better
Slow-moving folks rejoiced at the idea that a slower pace could mean more fat burned. And while moving slower—walking instead of running—may seem more appealing, there is a problem. Because moving at a faster pace and pushing yourself harder will always burn more calories in less time. Of course, if you plan to walk at a moderate pace for three hours, you will burn more than if you sprint 100 yards and call it quits. But if you can sprint 100 yards, walk 20 yards, and then sprint again, repeating the process for an hour, you’ll easily shed more calories, fat, and pounds, than just going for a walk.

Fat Loss Myth #4: Cardio Is All You Need
Want to lose weight? Good. You’ll need to get some cardiovascular exercise. But don’t buy into the idea that cardio is all you need to lose weight. If you don’t lift weights or do some sort of strength training, your aerobic workouts will eventually work to burn off your muscle as well as fat. In the end, this means less strength and a lower metabolism—both which could lead to an inability to maintain a workout routine.

Fat Loss Myth #5: Your Workout Should Be Killer
Ever feel your workout didn’t work you hard enough? If you’re improving and increasing, don’t sweat it. That’s just a sign that your body is growing stronger and better able to handle whatever you throw at it. While many think a workout isn’t good unless it leaves you unable to stand up straight or lift a book, don’t believe the hype. Pushing your body so hard that you can’t function after a workout may give you mental assurance that you’re working hard, but it’s putting you at extreme risk for extreme injury.

Fat Loss Myth #6: Heat Burns More

Slide this one under the heading “Stranger Than Fiction,” but according to research, those hot yoga classes may not be paying off like you expect. Strangely, they found that people who slept in a colder environment increased their weight loss ability substantially more than those who slept in a warmer temperature. Granted, the study involved sleeping and not exercising, but the chill should transfer to your workouts. Get the temp turned down a notch for a month or two and see if there are any changes!

Fat Loss Myth #7: There Are Negative-Calorie Foods
Whether you’ve bought into the myth or not, you’ve likely heard that certain foods—celery is a favorite—burn more calories via digestion than they contain. So if you eat nothing but celery, you’ll burn more calories than you consume, which catapults your weight-loss ability into the heavens. Unfortunately, this isn’t true. Celery is low in calories, but you couldn’t survive on it if there was no other food available.

The number one reason you don’t exercise is that you don’t have time. At least that’s what you tell yourself. I know we’re all busy. Between getting to and from work, balancing responsibilities and having time for yourself, there’s little left over for workouts. With summer in full swing, your busy schedule is sure to get even busier. There’ll be vacations, cookouts, and family gatherings. It’s no wonder that exercise quickly takes a backseat to summer activities. You don’t have to succumb to weight gain this summer. Escape the time crunch excuse in three easy steps:

Step One: Schedule Your Workouts:

You’ve heard this before, and it makes so much sense. If you treat your exercise time with the importance of a work meeting, then you’d never skip a workout and you’d be in amazing shape. While the scheduling concept is brilliant in its simplicity, you have to put it into practice to reap the benefits. Pull out your calendar and a pen. Don’t laugh, I’m serious! Just do it. If you want to get into shape it starts with committing to a revised schedule with a set exercise time. Identify three 40-minute time slots and mark them on your calendar. That is when you’ll exercise. Remember this: if the thought that you should exercise this week is floating around in your head, but you haven’t anchored it down to a specific time and date, it will quickly disappear.

Step Two: Get the Most from Each Minute:

The days of endless, mind-numbing cardio are over. A great workout can take place in under an hour, when done correctly. The idea is to burn more calories each minute. This is done through short, intense bursts of exercise. Use the following three tips to bring your routine up to the next level:

1. Be Unstable:

Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage stabilizing muscles. To do this, use an exercise ball, a balance board, a balance disk, or you could simply stand on one leg.

2. Add Resistance:

The more resistance you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges, wearing a weighted vest while walking or jogging, or putting a weight between your feet while doing leg raises.

3. Use Intervals:

Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity.

Here’s An Example:

Let’s say you want to focus on your legs and abs and to also get an effective cardiovascular workout. This would be a great interval routine for your goals:

Lunge while curling dumbbells, 15-20 repetitions

30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

Squat while pressing dumbbells overhead, 15-20 repetitions

30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

Crunches on an exercise ball, 15-20 repetitions

30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks

Leg raises off the end of an exercise bench, 15-20 repetitions

Step Three: Twice the Results in Half the Time:

What if I told you that I have a proven way to deliver twice the fitness results in half the time? It’s simple really… When you attempt to lose weight or meet a fitness goal on your own, the odds are stacked against you. Sure, you could do it over time – but it’s a long and lonely road…a road lined with detours that threaten to undermine your progress. When you start a program with me, you suddenly have the upper hand on weight loss. You have me in your corner, coaching you each step of the way, keeping you accountable to workouts and giving you that dose of encouragement when the going gets tough. And I’ll be the one congratulating you when your goal is met.

In this week’s fitness post, I’m giving you some seriously effective nutrition advice in a simple format so here are some quick questions to ask yourself each day to help you keep your eating habits on the right track. If your answers don’t correspond with those provided below then simply adjust your nutrition habits accordingly to reflect them.

When Did You Last Eat?

If it’s been longer than 3-4 hours, then it’s time to eat again. Meal frequency keeps your blood sugar more stable throughout the day, thus preventing spikes, lows, and cravings, and helping to keep you on track with your meal plan.

Where Is The Complete Protein?
Are you about to eat at least 1 serving of complete protein? If not, you need to eat some. Healthy lean protein sources help elevate your metabolic rate so you can burn more calories, they develop and maintain lean muscle, and they also help curb appetite.

– 1 serving of protein for women is about 20-30g.
– 1 serving of protein for men is about 40-50g.

Where Are The Veggies?
Are you about to eat at least 2 servings of veggies? Prepare them any way you like (except boiling), but eat them with every meal or snack. If you’re going to live a health-and-fitness-oriented lifestyle, you need to make sure you are getting adequate micronutrients from veggies.

– 1 serving is about 1 cup and your target is 5-10 cups of veggies per day.

Where Are The Healthy Carbs?
If you haven’t worked out yet, you should not eat dense carbs like pasta, bread, rice, or other starchy carbs. Focus on eating 1-2 servings of fruits and veggies instead. If you’ve just worked out, then you may eat a variety of healthy carb choices including some dense carbs.

Where Are The Healthy Fats?
Make sure you are getting an adequate amount of healthy fats from animal sources, oils, nuts, and seeds. Spread them throughout the day, but make sure to add them into your diet. Remember you need to eat healthy fats in order to burn fat.